WHY I THINK BUDDY MYER SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

 WHY I THINK BUDDY MYER SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN 

By- Damien 

Buddy Myer was one of the best hitting second basemen in baseball history, even for his hard hitting era. He was not in the Hornsby-Collins-Lajoie class, but he did have a .303 lifetime batting average and won the AL batting title in 1935. Myer was also a fine fielder who won two fielding titles and set the AL record for double plays by a second baseman with 138, also in 1935. Buddy Myer started his career with the Washington Senators in 1925 as a talented 21 year old shortstop, but played in only four games. He was a regular by 1926 and batted .304 to mark his first of nine .300 seasons. He batted a mere .216 in his first 15 games with the Senators in 1927 and was traded in midseason to the Red Sox, where he finished out another highly productive season. After Myer batted .313 and led the AL in stolen bases in 1928, this time at third base, the Senators decided to get him back, which they gladly did. He hit .300 with 82 RBI’s in his first year back in the nation’s capital and .303 the following season. Myer played both second and third base that season, but was Washington’s second baseman for the rest of his career. Myer’s average dropped below .300 for a couple of seasons after that but the Senators kept their faith in him, and he rewarded them by putting together three more .300 years in a row, and in 1935 his play was simply breathtaking. He batted .349 that year and drove in a career best 100 runs despite only five homers. Unfortunately, in 1936, Myer was sidelined for most of the season and played in only 51 games, but he was a regular - and a very good one - again by 1937. Myer had his second best season in 1938, when he batted .336 and won his second fielding award. He was already 34 at the time, and unfortunately his great 1938 season was his last as a regular. He hung around as a part time player through 1941, and although he was aging and had lost his regular status, Myer continued to hit and field astonishingly well until he hung it up. Buddy Myer was a great hitter, a fine baserunner, and an amazing fielder. Any middle infielder who could hit as well as Myer could and backed up his bat with fantastic fielding is always a Hall of Famer to me and a lot of others. 

LIFETIME STATISTICS 

Games career: 1,923 season high: 151 in 1935 

At Bats career: 7,038 season high: 616 in 1935 

Hits career: 2,131 season high: 215 in 1935 

Doubles career: 353 season high: 38 in 1932 

Triples career: 130 season high: 16 in 1932 

Home Runs career: 38 season high: 6 in 1938 

Runs career: 1,174 season high: 120 in 1932 

Runs Batted In career: 848 season high: 100 in 1935 

Stolen Bases career: 157 season high: 30 in 1928 led AL: 30 in 1928 

Walks career: 965 season high: 102 in 1934 

Strikeouts career: 428 season high: 42 in 1931 

Batting Average career: .303 season high: .349 in 1935 led AL: .349 in 1935 

On Base Percentage career: .389 season high: .454 in 1938 

Slugging Percentage career: .406 season high: .468 in 1935 

Total Bases career: 2,858 season high: 288 in 1935 

Sacrifice Hits career: 151 season high: 26 in 1928 

Fielding Percentage career: .968 season high: .984 in 1931 led AL 2B: .984 in 1931, .982 in 1938 

Double Plays career: 1,134 season high: 138 in 1935 led AL 2B: 138 in 1935 led AL 3B: 35 in 1928 

Putouts career: 4,224 season high: 460 in 1935 led AL 2B: 460 in 1935 

Assists career: 5,152 season high: 473 in 1935 

DID YOU KNOW? 

-is the great uncle of Bob Myrick 

-had a combined .430 OBP from 1934 through 1938 

-was a two time all-star (in 1935 and 1937) 

-finished fourth in the AL MVP Award voting in 1935, ninth in 1928, 15th in 1933, and 24th in 1938 

-batted a career .286 in two World Series (1925 and 1933) 

-hit homers off of Walter Johnson and Urban Shocker 

-led the AL in times on base (315) and in games at second base (151) in 1935 

-also played 13 games in the outfield, 125 as a pinch hitter, and five as a pinch runner 

-among MLB second basemen, ranks 35th in career double plays, 34th in putouts, and 48th in assists 

-his 460 putouts at second base in 1935 are the ninth most of all time